Sarah Jacoby’s clients fell hard for their historic brownstone. “We knew right away,” they say of their first visit to the landmark, park-adjacent property in Brooklyn. It was off the market, so their agent snuck in a showing after they bid unsuccessfully on another place just a few days prior. “There was so much character,” they say. “We loved all the preserved details—it felt one of a kind.”

The couple dreamed of starting a family, and they had long been searching for space to grow in their beloved neighborhood of Park Slope. They also crossed their fingers for a patch of outdoor space—and this property ticked all the boxes.

After: Exterior

While handsome and brimming with historic charm, it needed work—so the couple’s realtor introduced a contractor, and he suggested architect Sarah Jacoby lead the charge.

“The house was quite beautiful and nicely preserved—it really was a blank slate,” says Jacoby. The clients wanted to respect the house, and keep it as close to the original as possible—and Jacoby was on board. “They were open to it not being perfect; to showing the patina and quirks—they were happy to have it feel lived in,” she says.

Before: Entry Staircase

After: Entry Staircase

The couple closed in April 2020, but the demo didn’t start until January 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. In the interim, they moved into the house and learned firsthand what worked and what didn’t. “It was a blessing,” they say. “We got to see how we use the space and develop an appreciation for what was here.”

In their garden-level dining room, the couple opted to save a quirky built-in dresser by transforming it into a dry bar. “If you opened the drawers, the bottom would fall out,” they say. “It was not functional at all, so we removed the drawers and put a wine fridge in.”

The room is slightly below grade and lacks daylighting, so they set it up for evening entertaining. “It felt cave-like, so we had an opportunity to embrace it, make it even darker,” the clients say. “If we have people over in the evenings, and in the winter, we’ll hang out there.”

Before: Dining Room

After: Dining Room

After: Powder Room

The home received all-new HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems, and it needed an entirely new kitchen and updated bathrooms.

The kitchen had no appliances and held only a sink and some shelving, so the couple felt free to do as they wished. They fitted out the space with knotty wood cabinets, concrete countertops, and Louis Poulsen pendants. “They are so pretty—we wanted something that would feel warmer and glowy at night,” the clients say.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

On the upstairs parlor level, they added a closet with a cat hole for litterboxes and kept the layout much the same. “It is essentially what it was,” Jacoby says. “We painted, cleaned up, and sanded and refinished the floors, but we weren’t trying to reprogram that level. It made it much easier.”

The pair wanted it to feel cozy and warm, “like a really good winter house,” so they selected dark wall colors for the shadowy spaces and embraced the existing brown woodwork.

Before: Parlor

After: Parlor

After: First Floor

After: Office

After: Guest Room & Nursery

After: Primary Bedroom

Upstairs, the couple opted to update the bathrooms, although they decided to preserve a quirky sink in the primary bedroom, located beside a bathroom with just a shower and toilet. “That’s something we always wanted to keep,” the clients say. “We ended up using that sink in the bedroom all the time.”

Before: Bathroom

After: Bathroom

The homeowners relished the process of making the home their own by getting to know it slowly, and respecting its history. The sweetest part for Jacoby is that the homeowners really loved their existing home.

“People often buy a house and want it to feel like a loft—they want it to be light-filled, they want their kitchen somewhere else,” she says. “[These clients] were willing, and excited, to accept the house for what it is—which is a dark, moody house that’s beautiful.”

“It’s amazing,” she says enthusiastically, “but it’s not a loft.”

More Before & After stories:

A Vibrant Revamp Gives a Cramped Brooklyn Brownstone Room to Breathe

Their Brooklyn Limestone Was Trapped in the ’90s, so They Set It Free

A Gloomy Brooklyn Brownstone Gets Spruced Up With Splashes of Color

Project Credits:

Architect: Sarah Jacoby Architect / @sarahjacobyarchitect

Builder/General Contractor: John Palanca, Design Tech

Structural Engineer: Tom Gasbarro, Gasbarro Structural Engineering

Cabinetry Design/Installation: Tamer Restoration

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Before & After: They Loved Their Vintage Brownstone—So They Embraced Its Many Quirks